Karl Rove Will Resign at End of Month

Karl Rove, the political mastermind who maneuvered George W. Bush to the White house twice, will be stepping down from his role as President Bush's political adviser at the end of the month. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Rove explained, "I just think it's time. There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family." Rove will be returning to Texas and stay out of politics -for now.

Karl Rove, Adviser to President Bush, to Resign - washingtonpost.com

In his WSJ interview, he makes some predictions: The Democrats' 2008 presidential nomination will go to Senator Hillary Clinton ("tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate") but makes no predictions about the Republican nomination. From the WSJ:

Mr. Rove also said he expects the president's approval rating to rise again, and that conditions in Iraq will improve as the U.S. military surge continues. He said he expects Democrats to be divided this fall in the battle over warrantless wiretapping, while the budget battle -- and a series of presidential vetoes -- should help Republicans gain an edge on spending restraint and taxes.

What's interesting is that Rove first considered leaving a year ago, but stayed because of the GOP's losses during the midterm elections. However, as the NY Times reports, expectation that senior White House aides that stayed through Labor Day "would...stay through the rest" of the Bush presidency "forced" Rove's hand.

The Washington Post notes that while many high-profile presidential aides have resigned recently, "None came close to Rove's stature or influence, however. His departure is the end of an era in modern GOP politics, the conclusion of 14 years that began with advising the son of the last Republican to hold the White House, then guiding that son first to the Texas governor's mansion and, ultimately, to the White House. Along the way, Rove became the most prominent political strategist of his generation and a bete noire for liberals and even a number of conservative critics".

Related: Here's commentary from the WSJ's Paul Gigot, who interviewed Rove, analysis from Politico ("He can claim credit for political victories of historic proportions, but also stands accused of policy failures and a strategy of divisiveness."), and this 2005 NY Times editorial about his possible role in the Plame leak ("While we like government officials who are willing to whisper vital information, we like even more government officials who tell the truth in public.").

Photograph of Bush and Rove by Ron Edmonds/AP

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Miscellaneous, News on August 13, 2007 9:18 AM

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guest

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guest

I like Karl Rove.

robingee

Hey genius #21, who said I was talking to you?

zodak

i have to agree with 42.

guest

I don't think this piece has a "liberal bias" at all- it's simply stating the facts. You can argue that it's not relevant to New York (which is a stupid argument too, but at least it would be possible to back that up with some evidence) but I don't see why you would say that it's biased.

In other news, was anyone else surprised to read that his son is an adult and no longer lives at home? Wouldn't it have made more sense if we were retiring to "spend more time with his family" while his kid was still a kid? Hmmm...

guest

gothamist can report on what it wants... much like the daily news, the times, the journal, or the post. every single piece of media has some manner of bias, gothamist isn't going to be any different. quit complaining.

guest

he truth finally comes out, you're jealous you didn't get into an ivy league school.

Actually I got into three and went to one. But unlike most vocal internet liberals I don't pretend that simply graduating from a certain school makes me an expert all subjects. You have to keep reading and learning and listen to both sides. You guys wouldn't know anything about that. You guys are like Rove, my party right or wrong.

PS- I hope Rove, AbuG, Dickie C, Rummy and Bush all end up in Gitmo getting waterboarded- but this is a start.

Fine by me. I didn't vote for them. But who is AbuG?

And why don't I have a user name? Maybe the real question is why do you care? What does that have to do with anything? Nice try to change the topic but nobody has made a reasonable retort to my initial request for better standards of coverage. If I had a username would you guys actually answer my questions and engage in serious debate or would you just attack me name? I think it would be the latter.

Monster_mash

#54

Before you criticize others for posting anonymously you might start by getting your own username... just sayin'.

guest

Hey Mr. WhineyGuest, if you are so involved and concerned with this blog and it's posts- why dont you signup, get a user name, etc- and allow those of us who mearly read the posts to ignore yours.

Thank you.

PS- I hope Rove, AbuG, Dickie C, Rummy and Bush all end up in Gitmo getting waterboarded- but this is a start.

guest

Window dressing indeed. An oily exit "to spend time with my family" while a subpoena looms on possibly treasonous charges -- looks like a classic dictatorship move. Saving face like this is oddly right out of the Chinese Communist Party handbook -- proving that all ideologues eventually end as totalitarians.

Someday a rain's gonna come. . .

slappy

More decietful window dressing and maneuvers calculated in rish management meetings. Guest #5 got it right. He should be exiting in handcuffs. It still might happen wherever he goes. Bunch of crooks.

guest

the truth finally comes out, you're jealous you didn't get into an ivy league school.

Number 37 got you pegged,

you whining bitching whiny bitching bitch.

guest

I only speak the truth and that guy's a regular gothamist whining bitching bitcher bitch.

Did you learn to talk like that at columbia university? were you on the debate team?

guest

I only speak the truth and that guy's a regular gothamist whining bitching bitcher bitch.

just doing my job exposing the whining bitching bitches.

what no hillary story?

guest

He's a regular gothamist whining bitcher.

You're as much as whiny bitch as anyone.

guest

Well look at it this way, The assholes are going down one by one so that's reassuring ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

guest

I just said the whining bitching bitch always mentions he's neither a democrat nor republican.

then goes on and bitches as to why aren't there any hillary "dirt".

He's a regular gothamist whining bitcher.

guest

Thank God that fat fucking pig will be gone.

guest

the whining bitching guest is a regular gothamist whiner. he's the guy who bitches and complains and is a rudy backer.

Nope, not a rudy backer. nice try. I just think we should talk about issues and you guys think "Giuliani sucks" is intelligent discussion.

who says he's not a republican or democrat but is a whining bitching bitch.

I'm not registered with either party and have the registration card to prove it.

yep, this is the same whining bitching guest who complains there isn't enough hillary dirt on this blog.

Not looking for "dirt". When did talking about her positions become dirt? Why are you people so afraid of discussion? For the self-proclaimed smart half of America this crowd is pretty ignorant.

Fuckin douchebag hipster carpetbagging asshole!

Wow.